A Non-puerperal Uterine Inversion Due to an Endometrial Polyp.

Non-puerperal uterine inversion is a rare complication, and its incidence is not well documented in the current literature. The most common risk factor is the presence of submucosal fibroids. Nonetheless, any endometrial pathology can precipitate this inversion and may also have a malignant etiology.

Ferritin, inflammation, and iron deficiency in acute heart failure: evidence from the EDIFICA cohort.

Background: Ferritin is commonly used to evaluate iron stores and guide therapeutic decisions regarding intravenous iron supplementation. However, in the context of AHF, inflammation-driven upregulation of ferritin might disrupt its correlation with iron stores, restricting iron bioavailability and potentially amplifying the inflammatory response.

Aim: This study aims to assess the clinical and prognostic associations of ferritin levels in an AHF cohort and to determine whether the prognostic value of ferritin is influenced by the presence of infection, inflammatory activation, and other markers of iron deficiency.

Early Biological Therapy Within 12 Months of Diagnosis Leads to Higher Transmural Healing Rates in Crohn's Disease.

Background & Aims: Transmural healing (TH) is emerging as a potential Crohn's disease (CD) treatment target. Early biological treatment seems to be associated with improved disease outcomes, but its impact on TH remains unclear. We aimed to assess the impact of early biological treatment initiation on TH and its influence on CD prognosis.

Elevated Cystatin C Predicts Higher Mortality in Chronic Heart Failure Independently of Renal Function.

Introduction: Cystatin C (CysC) is a known prognostic marker in cardiovascular diseases and its role in acute heart failure (HF) has been documented.

Methods: We prospectively recruited HF patients followed in a HF clinic. Inclusion criteria: HF diagnosed ≥6 months, optimized evidence-based therapy, and ejection fraction <40% (Heart Failure with reduced ejection fraction).

Prognostic association of circulating relaxin-2 in acute heart failure.

Background: Despite the increasing interest in the study of the endogenous relaxin system in heart failure (HF), its role as a prognostic marker in acute HF remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the association of relaxin-2 circulating levels with 6 months' mortality in acute HF.

Methods: We evaluated relaxin-2 serum levels at admission in a cohort of patients with acute HF (n = 202) using an enzyme immunoassay.

Deficiency of factor-inhibiting HIF creates a tumor-promoting immune microenvironment.

Hypoxia signaling influences tumor development through both cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic pathways. Inhibiting hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) function has recently been approved as a cancer treatment strategy. Hence, it is important to understand how regulators of HIF may affect tumor growth under physiological conditions.

Biosensors for natriuretic peptides in cardiovascular diseases. A review.

Heart failure (HF) is a complex clinical syndrome associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Over the years, it has been crucial to find accurate biomarkers capable of doing a precise monitor of HF and provide an early diagnosis. Of these, it has been established an important role of natriuretic peptides in HF assessment.

Micro-Colony Forming Unit Assay for Efficacy Evaluation of Vaccines against Tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB), the leading cause of death worldwide by an infectious agent, killed 1.6 million people in 2022, only being surpassed by COVID-19 during the 2019-2021 pandemic. The disease is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.

mRNA vaccines: a new opportunity for malaria, tuberculosis and HIV.

The success of the first licensed mRNA-based vaccines against COVID-19 has created a widespread interest on mRNA technology for vaccinology. As expected, the number of mRNA vaccines in preclinical and clinical development increased exponentially since 2020, including numerous improvements in mRNA formulation design, delivery methods and manufacturing processes. However, the technology faces challenges such as the cost of raw materials, the lack of standardization, and delivery optimization.

Door-to-furosemide time and clinical outcomes in acute heart failure.

Background And Importance: Acute heart failure (AHF) is one of the main causes of unplanned hospitalization in patients >65 years of age and is associated with adverse outcomes in this population. Observational studies suggest that intravenous diuretic therapy given in the first hour of presentation for AHF was associated with favorable outcomes.

Objectives: To study the short-term prognostic associations of the timing of intravenous diuretic therapy in patients admitted to the emergency department (ED) for acute AHF.

Low stress hyperglycemia ratio predicts worse prognosis in diabetic acute heart failure patients.

Introduction: Acute blood glucose but not glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) predicts poor outcome in acute heart failure (HF). The stress hyperglycemia ratio (SHR) has been proposed as a prognostic predictor in various clinical settings.

Objectives: We assessed the prognostic implications of the SHR in acute HF patients with and without diabetes.

Microbial Antigen Identification and Vaccine Delivery Systems.

Vaccine efficacy and immunogenicity depend on the host, pathogen, and pathogenesis of the disease [...

Interleukin-6, infection and cardiovascular outcomes in acute heart failure: Findings from the EDIFICA registry.

Aims: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is upregulated in response to infectious and inflammatory triggers and independently predicts all-cause mortality in acute heart failure (AHF). However, the association of IL-6 with cardiovascular outcomes and its interplay with C-reactive protein and infection, a major precipitating factor in AHF, remains poorly understood.

Methods And Results: The association between IL-6 and clinical outcomes (180 days) in AHF was evaluated using a cohort of 164 patients from the EDIFICA registry.

NT-proBNP for heart failure diagnosis in Primary Care: Costs or savings? A budget impact study.

Introduction And Objectives: Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a growing public health concern and diagnosis can be challenging, particularly in primary care. This study aims to estimate the budgetary impact of introducing N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) for CHF diagnosis in a primary care setting from the perspective of the Portuguese health system.

Methods: A budget impact analysis was conducted over one-year from the patients' first presentation.

Patients with laboratory criteria of anti-phospholipid syndrome and 'non-criteria' manifestations: a multicenter cohort.

Objectives: Patients with laboratory criteria for anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS) but presenting only 'non-criteria' clinical manifestations are scarcely characterized in the literature. We aimed to analyse a cohort of these patients regarding the most prevalent manifestations, antibody profile, and treatments, while establishing a comparison with definite APS patients.

Method: A retrospective analysis was conducted of individuals fulfilling APS laboratory criteria assessed in two tertiary European hospitals between 2005 and 2020.

Functional in-vitro evaluation of the non-specific effects of BCG vaccination in a randomised controlled clinical study.

Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), the only currently licenced tuberculosis vaccine, may exert beneficial non-specific effects (NSE) in reducing infant mortality. We conducted a randomised controlled clinical study in healthy UK adults to evaluate potential NSE using functional in-vitro growth inhibition assays (GIAs) as a surrogate of protection from four bacteria implicated in infant mortality. Volunteers were randomised to receive BCG intradermally (n = 27) or to be unvaccinated (n = 8) and were followed up for 84 days; laboratory staff were blinded until completion of the final visit.

Dissecting the BCG Response to Macrophage Infection to Help Prioritize Targets for Anti-Tuberculosis Drug and Vaccine Discovery.

New strategies are required to reduce the worldwide burden of tuberculosis. Intracellular survival and replication of after macrophage phagocytosis is a fundamental step in the complex host-pathogen interactions that lead to granuloma formation and disease. Greater understanding of how the bacterium survives and thrives in these environments will inform novel drug and vaccine discovery programs.

CA-125 variation in acute heart failure: a single-centre analysis.

Aims: A decrease in carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA-125) predicts survival advantage in chronic heart failure (HF); the impact of its variation in acute HF is unknown. We studied the association of CA-125 decrease with prognosis in acute HF.

Methods And Results: We studied acute hospitalized HF patients.

The ratio of furosemide dosage to urinary sodium concentration predicts mortality in patients with chronic stable heart failure.

Introduction: The urinary sodium (UNa) concentration is associated with outcomes in patients with acute heart failure (HF). Its impact in individuals with chronic HF is unknown.

Objectives: This study examined the combined effect of diuretic dosage and UNa concentration in chronic HF.

The prognostic impact of uric acid in acute heart failure according to coexistence of diabetes mellitus.

Background And Aims: Increased uric acid levels predict higher mortality in heart failure (HF) patients. Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) appear to have increased xanthine oxidase activity. We aimed to study if the association between uric acid and mortality in acute HF was different according to the coexistence of DM.